Page 39 of The Seer

His lips twisted as if he possessed intimate knowledge of her uncomfortableness in his presence. Yes, she could leave, but the part of her that didn’t want to was in control of her legs.

“No, but she’ll need to unlock its abilities, and none of us know what it truly does, yeah?” Fintan shrugged, turning away to retrieve a guitar from beside the desk. He sprawled on the window seat, with his back to the attached bookcase, and crossed his ankles as he fiddled with the tuning pegs. Once satisfied, he closed his eyes and plucked out a tune.

She recognized it from the half-written song on the desk.

Opening his eyes, he met hers across the distance and began singing words he’d not written. By the end of the first line, she was sitting on the floor beside the bench. By the end of the second, her throat was constricted with all the heartbreak and regret she’d felt from their aborted relationship. And with the third verse, tears streamed uncontrolled down her cheeks.

He never broke eye contact, but his voice turned raspy, lending more emotion to the song. Doubtless, he was experiencing the same emotions as her. The truth was laid bare for her to see if she cared to.

“Is this the effect of your Siren,” she asked, her mouth dry. “This stirring?”

He set the guitar aside, then joined her on the floor. Kneeling in front of her, he simply stared, making no move to touch.

“What stirring,aoibhneas mo croí? What is it ya feel?”

“The worst sort of regret and pain,” she confessed.

“Aye. Maybe you’ve accessed my feelings on the matter, yeah? I’ve had nothing but regret from the moment I left you that morning with the promise to return.”

Daring the one question tormenting her forever, she asked, “Do you think it would’ve been different if I’d gone with you instead of leaving you to deal with Peter’s death on your own? That we’d have stayed together?”

“No.”

His bluntness stole her breath, and she nodded slowly, willing her lungs to function.

“Not because of us, Taryn-Taryn. The ancestors wouldn’t allow it, but I wish you’d have come with me anyway.” A single tear trailed down his cheek, and Taryn caught it with her fingers. Fintan grasped her hand and kissed the moisture away. “I’ll never be able to apologize enough. Yours wasn’t the only heart broken that day,aoibhneas mo croí.”

He didn’t try to hide his pain, and she appreciated his honesty.

“So many wasted years, huh?” she murmured almost to herself. Dropping her hand, she rose. It helped, perhaps even healed her a little, to know he’d suffered. She wasn’t being petty, but learning he’d truly cared made their brief love affair a lot less like a careless fling. “I suppose I should thank you for the truth after all this time.”

“Will ya stay?”

Did he mean with him or at the estate? Strangely, she didn’t possess the courage to ask.

“Either,” he replied to her internal question, reminding her of their link.

Enveloping her hands in his, he looked up at her, compelling her to say yes. She wanted to, but she was also damned tired of making foolish mistakes when it came to men and her heart.

“It’s not a good idea, Fintan.”

His hopeful light died. He released her with a nod, focusing on the horizon outside the window. “Will ya check in with me daily until I can determine what the vision is about?”

“I can do that.”

“Grand.” Climbing to his feet, he raised his arm, palm up. “I’ll take ya to Narissa.”

“Oh! Right.” She’d long forgotten her intent to check on his cousin and Creed. Placing her hand in his, she squeezed tightly. “Thank you for giving me a choice, Fintan. For not trying to force me to stay in some misguided need to protect me.”

“Your destiny is your own, Taryn-Taryn. But if I can prevent the bleedin’ Fates from hurtin’ ya or help you figure out where the threat originates, I will.”

As they traversed the halls, she gave in to the desire to lace her arm through his and hug this small part of him close. They’d reached the top of the stairs when one of the hottest men she’d ever encountered stepped into view.

Black-haired and hot enough to melt steel, he was tall, with wide shoulders and a killer smile. The man possessed a laid-back but powerful vibe that immediately gained one’s notice. His midnight-colored gaze swept the length of her, and a lazy grin spread across his face when he saw them.

Her body went into gushy, schoolgirl mode, and heat swept through her, landing squarely in her cheeks. Pressing her hands to her face in a vain effort to cool them, she did the unthinkable and batted her eyelashes.

“Well, hello, love. Where’s this one been hidin’ you?”

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